The House Committee on General Housing and Military Affairs held an interview session Thursday night for the four men vying to become the state’s next adjutant general.

James Marc Leas, a patent lawyer who has no military experience, was one of them.

The state is filling the position after Gen. Michael Dubie left Vermont for United States Northern Command.

“The F-35 jets based in South Burlington will cause nearly 3,000 homes and 7,000 people to be in a noise zone that the Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration say is generally not suitable for residential use,” Leas told the committee.

The data comes from a draft of the Air Force’s Environmental Impact Statement. The final version, with the Pentagon’s basing decision, is due this spring.

The state has yet to hold any formal hearings about the possibility of basing the jet at the Air Guard Base in South Burlington, Leas said.

By throwing his hat into the ring, Leas effectively made Thursday night’s interview process a hearing of its own.

Opponents of basing the jet in South Burlington have asked state lawmakers and the congressional delegation to hold hearings on the plane’s environmental and health impacts.

“We should have an investigatory team to determine the facts,” Leas said. “That investigatory team is sitting right here. You’re the elected representatives of the military affairs and housing committee. This is your job.”

Retired Col. Mike Bullock, Brig. Gen. Steven Cray and Col. Darryl Ducharme are also up for the position.

The three military veterans, who were each asked one question about the F-35, had similar answers.

“I would be collaborative,” Bullock said. “I would bring in all the smart people to talk about this issue.”

“I’d strongly believe that the F-35 was the right choice for Vermont,” Cray said.

“It will have an impact on the communities that we have,” Ducharme said. “Not to mention the displacement of the personnel.”

Each added the air guard employs about 1,000 full and part-time workers, who may be out of a job if the F-35 mission did not come to Vermont.

Leas disagreed, saying Vermont should invest in machines to help during natural disasters and to battle climate change.

“There's nothing the F-35 can do,” he said. “There's no place to bomb in Vermont.”Lawmakers will hold a secret ballot vote Thursday, Feb. 21.